Faster pace but also more open. In Italy it’s a slower game but there’s less space. Even the big teams play like minnows (Milan, Napoli) But that’s not to say that Grifo wouldn’t have done well. I think the opposite. He probably would have thrived in Italy had he transferred years ago. He has the qualities that Italian managers love. For me the fact that he was ignored for so long is proof that it’s an agent issue.
100% I am looking at 2028 as Euro 88 and 2030 as Italia 90. I want our average age to be 25 now and peak in 2030.
Yes 82 06 2021 68 are basically the oldest teams to win ... it's usually 26-27 average Italy is the anomaly more or less. Arg 2022 were just under 28 at like 27.8 but we tend to peak old but to get there we need a generation that gets experience. The 98-2004 generation peaked in 2006 after many finals with their clubs and italy. 2020 is similar as Chiellini Bonnucci Jorginho Insigne Immobile Verratti core finally won something big after some CL final losses etc. 2020 is actually very similar to 1982 where we then failed to qualify for 84 and were bad in 86. 82 like 2020 came after disaster and was a mix of the old guard of the 70s and a small amount of younger players from the late 70s but it was actually the start of a cycle that was not really ready to show up until 88. Similarly the reforms after 2017 were not going to show up in 2021-2026. It will be 2028 where we finally see the youth trained after those changes emerge just as we saw in 88. Let's hope we have another Mancini Baggio Maldini coming through.
He is literally the all time top goal scorer as well as most assists ever in Freiburg, a midtable Bundesliga team that just made the Europa Final. There is no doubt he would've thrived in Serie A, this shouldn't even be a question.
Look I don't know anything about that just saying 2006 both Finalists were the 2 oldest in the tournament. I have no idea of the other tournaments. I know in 1982 Dino Zoff and Franco Causio increased the average age. Earlier comment was correct. The core was from the 4th Place team from 1978 and 4th at Euro'80. Plus having Enzo Bearzot for continuity.
Les 5 meilleurs u21 🇮🇹 de la saison en Serie B selon moi ! 🌟- Alphadjo Cisse (2006, attaquant)- Emanuele Rao (2006, attaquant)- Jonas Harder (2005, milieu)- Alessio Cacciamani (2007, milieu/ailier)- Mattia Liberali (2007, milieu/ailier) pic.twitter.com/KAXAt6wBTc— Joueurs IT 🇮🇹 (@JoueursItalia) May 13, 2026 Should all be in A next year
Yes which is very promising as bad as teams agents managers were in the lead up to the recent disasters. There was not this level of young talent until very recently. Then possibly Koleosho and of course Inacio Leoni and others should get first team minutes in top leagues and in the CL. While Pisilli Pio Camarda Palestra Lipani are already in Serie A.
Unfortunately when we look at Euro 2020 we see it was a patch work of three separate generations. There were some good players left over but very little depth. This left us vulnerable. We will need to be patient and hope the numbers are coming for 28/30/32 to align with players like Calafiori Donnarumma Tonali yes even Bastoni.
Malagò: “It is not enough to have Italians playing in Italy; we need suitable and competent people.” During an event at the Circolo Canottieri Aniene in Rome for the presentation of a book by Ivan Zazzaroni, FIGC presidential candidate Giovanni Malagò made several remarks about the current state of Italian football. “Without naming names, an important coach told me in recent days that the boys were fantastic,” Malagò said. “But he also told me that we didn’t win because we were the strongest. We are not the strongest, but the most capable. In other national teams, 17- and 18-year-old players have already moved on to other destinations, while we continue to involve them in the youth sector.” Malagò then added: “If you go and look, count how many national-team players from Germany, Portugal, Turkey, or other countries are not playing in their home country. In Portugal’s national team, nine out of eleven players play outside Portugal. So the problem is not simply getting Italians to play in Italy. When you are able to identify the right people and give them trust, you can get them to embrace ideas that they may not initially like.” In conclusion, the former CONI president left no doubt: “It is clear to anyone who understands these dynamics that, with the system of mutual vetoes, there are completely different interests involved. Just think about the difference between someone who plays in the Third Division and someone who prepares a team for a Champions League match. What is needed is discussion and dialogue. A great deal of patience is needed, and one must not be on one side or the other. The choice of people is crucial: competence matters, and the federal system needs the right people.”
Di Lorenzo and Cristante that’s rough Here's my 442 Esposito Inacio Koleosho Tonali Fagioli Palestra Ruggeri Calafiori Scalvini Kayode
The SES pull was something else. You could feel the desperation through the TV watching this match. Man it has been a rough few years; lol.
Who knows, we have like 10 midfielders that could all potentially start for us. We really have a lot of great midfielders that are all very similar but no standouts. Perhaps Tonali but even he was playing bad towards the end of the season.
⚜️ Fabio Grosso has a clear first mission at Fiorentina: revive Giovanni Fabbian! 🎯The €15m signing struggled badly under Paolo Vanoli, scoring zero goals in six months. 📉The new boss will return the Italian to his natural attacking role. 🚀 pic.twitter.com/ihS1pl32Cc— SleeperFootballNews (@SleeperFootNews) June 17, 2026